Past Forecasts
The Mermaid Nebula Supernova Remnant
Could the Little Mermaid turn into stardust instead of seafoam? It would seem so in this beautiful nebula. The featured image shows the Mermaid Nebula, also known as the Betta Fish Nebula, which is part of the G296.5+10.0 Supernova Remnant. The blue color visible here originates from doubly ionized oxygen (OIII), while the deep red is emitted by hydrogen gas. Estimated to be located a few thousand light-years away and about 10,000 years old, this nebula was formed when a massive star exploded as a supernova. It left behind a peculiar pulsar, a young radio-quiet neutron star that spins around about twice every second. The bright stars shown in the image are unassociated with the nebula. The pulsar can be detected in the X-rays but it does not have a confirmed detection in the optical (visible light) so far. As a result, the pulsar itself is not visible in this image.
Credit & Copyright: Data acquisition: Sy Ming Wong; Processing: Guangyan Gao Text: Cecilia Chirenti (NASA GSFC, UMCP, CRESST II)
A 0–9 score for how stirred up Earth’s magnetic field is, measured every 3 hours by magnetometers around the world. 0–2 is quiet, 3–4 is unsettled, and 5 or more is a geomagnetic storm. The higher it goes, the farther from the poles the northern lights reach. Around Kp 5, people in Washington State can sometimes see them low in the north.
- Kp 5 G1 minor
- Kp 6 G2 moderate
- Kp 7 G3 strong
- Kp 8 G4 severe
- Kp 9 G5 extreme
A rough guide based only on the current Kp: Unlikely below 4, Possible at 4–5, Likely at 6–7, Strong at 8+. It isn’t for your exact location, so use “Your sky this week” for odds where you are. Clouds and city lights matter too.
Learn more at NOAA SWPCA stream of charged particles flowing from the Sun, measured by spacecraft about 1.5 million km (1 million miles) toward the Sun from Earth. It usually blows at 300–500 km/s. Faster than about 600 km/s often means stormier space weather, and whatever is measured now reaches Earth roughly 30–60 minutes later.
Learn more at NOAA SWPC